Towards Large-Format 1.9 Terahertz Heterodyne Arrays Using a Planar Silicon-Micomachined Package

Heterodyne detection at sub-millimeter wavelengths is ideal for high-resolution spectroscopy of interstellar clouds, but creating large-format arrays is challenging due to the complexity of traditional metal-machined mixer packages and coupling of the local oscillator (LO) signal. This talk presents a planarly integrated silicon micromachined mixer package that enables efficient multi-pixel heterodyne arrays, using a two-sided RF/LO coupling and a low-loss waveguide network for signal mixing. The architecture is well-suited for 7-pixel hexagonal subarrays that can be tiled into larger arrays, and the talk presents details of the fabrication, integration, and assembly of a 4-pixel demonstrator array.